Life's Little Pieces
by dazzledgreeneyes
Summary: For one-shots that get stuck in my head and need a way out.
1. Of Births and New Beginnings

He hated hospitals. Always had, always would. They reminded him too much of the war, too much of grief, too much of everything he had lost. And yet, he found himself in one once more.

The situation was unfamiliar. He was not in the hospital for death or sickness, but for life and new beginnings.

He looked down at the woman he loved. Tired, but glowing, she looked like she was completely and whole-heartedly happy.

"You did wonderful, love," He told her, running his fingers through her long, silky red hair.

She smiled at him, her brown eyes slowly drifting close.

He never thought he would find himself in a situation like this. Hell, he never thought he'd live past 17.

A Healer entered the room, carrying an impossibly tiny blue bundle.

"Mr. Potter, would you like to hold your son?"

Harry nodded and took the bundle into his arms. He knew the rest of the Weasleys would soon be clamoring into the room, wanting a glimpse of the newest addition. But for right now, it was just him and his son.

Harry gently grasped the tiny hand.

"Hello, James. I'm your Dad."

**AN: Hey guysss! So I created this nifty little story for all the little moments that get stuck in my head and won't go away. I'll take requests for couples you might have, but I hold the right to manipulate them how I see fit. :D Canon or non-canon, doesn't matter. This one is obviously Harry/Ginny, which is my fave.**


	2. Of Fathers and Sons

I gazed down into my sleeping son's face in awe. He was over a year old and I still marveled over the fact that I had something to do with the creation of another human being.

"Time for bed, sweetie," my wife said, taking my son out of my arms.

I glanced at the clock, which read half past eleven.

"I guess we should be turning in," I said, kissing her softly.

We both glanced down at our sleeping son, who merely twitched a bit in his sleep.

"I love you, you know that?" I told her. I had taken to telling her that more and more in the past days. I couldn't shake the feeling that I might not be able to say it much longer.

"We both know that," she said, her emerald eyes sparkling.

I kissed my son on the head, and allowed my wife to take him upstairs to the nursery. I had just flicked the lights off when a knock sounded on the door.

"Probably a late trick-or-treater," I muttered, trying to fight the fear that was clawing its way through my body.

The door burst open before I could even get to it, and somehow I was not surprised at all.

"Run, Lily! Take Harry and go!" I shouted, preparing myself to fight.

Voldemort regarded me curiously, as if I was some anomaly that he couldn't figure out.

"You would have made a good Death Eater," he commented.

"Go to hell," I spat, drawing my wand. His red eyes followed my movements, still looking at me as if I was some sort of puzzle. He drew his wand, and I found I wasn't at all afraid.

I readied myself again him, already knowing that I was fighting a losing battle. I was a good wizard, perhaps even great. But Voldemort was aiming to kill by any means possible.

Spells were traded back and forth, and various objects shattered. Multi-colored lights lit up the room, and I prayed that Lily had found a way out.

"Crucio!" Voldemort said.

Pain. Pain like I had never known, that I would never get used to. No matter how many times Crucio was used on me, it still hurt like hell. My wand had flown out of my hand during my spasms.

Voldemort approached me. I lifted my head.

"He's going to win," I said. "He's going to beat you, you bastard. You're going to lose."

Anger flashed through Voldemort's eyes, along with another emotion I couldn't place.

I closed my eyes, for the last time and thought hard. I love you, Harry. I love you, Lily. I can't even tell you how much. My mind was racing, thinking through my life, as faces flashed through my mind. My brain was finally able to place that emotion in Voldemort's eyes. It was fear.

And then James Potter knew no more.

**AN: I know this isn't completely canon, but I'm okay with that. :D**


	3. Of Rivalries and Resignation

He didn't want to be here. He _really _didn't want to be here. There really wasn't a way out though, and he had certainly tried to find a loophole. His wife kept him from doing that though; he was still terrified of her. Even though he had known her for going on 30 years there were still moments where he felt like he was back at school during one of their rows. That's not to say he didn't love her, because he did. More than he loved anyone in the world, except maybe his children.

He fidgeted slightly in his tuxedo, glancing out in the crowd. It was mostly a mixture of red-heads and a few heads of messy black hair. If he squinted, he could just make out a couple of blondes. He shuddered. He still wasn't used to _that. _

He guessed he should have seen it coming. God, she was so much like her mother. He jumped slightly as someone wrapped their arms around him.

"How are you doing?" his wife asked him.

He snorted and turned to the person next to his beloved.

"Having fun, mate?" his best mate smirked at him.

"If I remember right, you'll be doing this in a few months," he told him.

His best friend scowled slightly, but clasped his shoulder.

"Shut up. Good luck, anyway. Don't trip," He reminded. He walked away to join his family, who was waiting in the second row.

"You two will never change, will you?" his wife said fondly, giving him a kiss. "It's time."

He sighed heavily, and turned towards his daughter.

"You look beautiful," He told her. "But, he still doesn't deserve you."

She really did look beautiful. Her red hair had been tamed for the day and blue eyes regarded him from behind the veil.

"Behave, dad," She told him.

The music began, and he reminded himself of the rehearsal. It wasn't hard, really. Right, left, slow down a bit, because he really didn't want the aisle to end.

He looked up as he felt stares. A pair of grey eyes met his. Angry, but resigned. He nodded coolly at Draco Malfoy and turned to meet his son.

"Take care of her," he told Scorpius gruffly. He kissed his daughter on the cheek and placed Rose's hand into his.

He made his way over to Hermione, who wrapped his arms around him again. He saw Harry shooting him a grin from the row behind.

"I'm proud of you, Ron," Hermione said.

He sighed heavily. Thank god he only had one daughter.

**AN: Haha, writing Ron was more fun than I thought. :D Obviously Rose/Scorpius, if you couldn't tell. **


	4. Of Dark Marks and Love Unreturned

She tuned out the priest and gazed out into the crowd. She knew she should probably be paying attention, but she couldn't find it in herself to care. She spotted her Aunt and Uncle out in the crowd, with her two cousins. Sirius shot her a cocky grin, which she returned menacingly. He rolled his eyes. Stupid brat. He should learn to respect his elders.

"Bella!" she heard her maid of honor hiss.

She turned her attention back to the priest, reminding herself to thank Narcissa later.

The priest and Rodolphus was both staring at her expectantly.

"I do," she replied, hoping that was they were going for. She really didn't need to be embarrassed in front of her family.

Rodolphus grinned happily at her and she grimaced back. She really didn't need to waste time with this, they both had places to go…meetings to attend.

"May I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Rodolphus Lestrange!" the priest announced.

Her family cheered as her and Rodolphus faced them. She pulled slightly on the long sleeve of her gown. She rubbed her wrist and glanced at Rodolphus, who was doing the same. It was time to go. She practically pulled him down the aisle, taking no time to greet well-wishers or family members.

"I love you," Rodolphus told her softly, just before they Apparated.

She didn't respond, instead she Apparated to the call of the Dark Mark.

After all, her love already belonged to someone else.

**AN: Ehhhh, I don't know how I feel about this. And just so you know, Bellatrix was 9 years older than Sirius, so I'm guessing he would have probably been at her wedding. I'm putting this around 1970, making her 19 and him 10. Plus that was the first year of the War, and I'm guessing she probably joined up right away.**


	5. Of Promises and Godfathers

I sat on my best mate's couch, tapping my foot impatiently. I could be doing much better things than waiting around right now. Well, not really, but it was the principle of the matter. I heard the front door slam and I bounced off my seat.

"Finally! When Lily said you'd be home in a few minutes, I'm pretty sure she didn't mean an hour!" I shouted.

"Padfoot, I literally left five minutes ago," James said slowly. "I had to get Bathilda's mail, since she's visiting her nephew or something."

"Whatever, you took way too long," I told him. "So what's going on? Not that I mind coming over, but I actually do have things to do." I was lying, but he didn't need to know that.

James stared at me oddly. "Did Remus slip one of those Muggle drugs into your tea? You're acting crazier than that time in sixth year when-"

I slapped my hand over his mouth.

"We don't need a repeat of that story, Prongs," I told him sweetly. "Let's go find your lovely wife."

I dragged him into the kitchen where Lily was preparing supper.

"Your husband is an arsehole," I informed her.

She nodded absentmindedly, placing plates on the table.

James cleared his throat loudly and shot me a glare.

"Hi love," James wrapped his arms around Lily and began kissing her neck.

As soon as she started giggling, I gagged. There comes a point where even the best mate has to bail out.

"Moving on," I announced. "Do any of you care to tell me _why _I'm even here? I was still never told."

Lily and James exchanged looks.

"Sirius," Lily began gently. "Why don't you sit down?"

"All right," I said slowly. "I'm still confused, though."

I watched as Lily and James sat down across from me.

"Padfoot," James hesitated. "Oh, screw it. He's only going to understand if we tell it to him straight."

"If you're sure," Lily said complacently.

"I'm right here," I said, waving my arms. "Just tell me!"

"Right," James began again. "Padfoot, we're having a baby."

I stared numbly at my best mate and his wife.

"A baby?" I stammered out. They had only been married for a couple months! I really didn't know the mechanics behind these sorts of things, but didn't people usually wait a bit before _that?_

"Well, you see, Sirius," Lily said. "When a man really loves a woman-"

"Shush, you're almost as bad as him," I made my way around the table to the beaming couple.

"Don't ever choose your best mate on the Hogwarts Express," I told Lily's stomach. "It's the worst thing you can do."

"Oi! That's your godchild in there!" James shouted.

I hesitated briefly and then tackled James in a hug.

"You're making me godfather?" I shouted. I turned to Lily and hugged her gently.

"Of course, you prat. Who else would we choose?" Lily asked me.

"I dunno, I just wasn't expecting this," I said. "Congratulations to both of you!"

I clapped James on the back and pretended that we both didn't have tears in our eyes.

I leaned down to speak to Lily's stomach again.

"I'll be the best godfather," I told the baby. "Just you see."


	6. Of Twins and Mixups

She chatted idly with Alicia after their Care of Magical Creatures final. They were walking slowly back to the Gryffindor Common Room. Excitement was almost palpable in the air, and snow flakes fell softly to the ground.

"I'm just so glad classes are over," Alicia exclaimed, adjusting her bag on her should.

"The hols will be great this year too," Angelina responded. She really was excited.

"Has anyone asked you to the ball yet?" Alicia asked.

Angelina snorted.

"You already know the answer to that, Ali."

Alicia sighed sadly.

"I know, but a girl can dream, right?"

They looked a pair, Angelina decided. They were probably the only two girls in Hogwarts who didn't have dates. Hermione Granger had even gotten a date! Angelina didn't think the girl even knew boys existed. Hell, even Ginny Weasley was going with a date, and she wasn't even old enough to attend!

Alicia glanced at her sadly, probably thinking similar thoughts.

"Triwizard Cup," Angelina told the fat lady. Alicia and Angelina made their way through the noisy common room, plopping down on some chairs near the corner.

She glanced sneakily at the opposite corner, her eyes almost automatically going to him. He was sitting there with his twin, along with Harry and Ron. She wondered idly where Hermione was, since you rarely saw two without three.

She turned back to Alicia, and was about to start complaining again, when she heard a shout.

"Oi! Angelina!"

She turned automatically at the sound of his voice, her brown eyes glancing between the two. The voices were too similar to know if it was _her _twin or not.

"What?" she asked slowly.

"Want to go to the ball with me?"

She flushed slightly, she had never liked public situations. The Gryffindor Common Room was about as public as it got.

"Er, sure?" she answered, a bit afraid. Please, _please _let this be her twin.

"Excellent!"

She turned back to Alicia, who was beaming happily at her. Angelina was still slightly confused, and went to bed soon after that. Thank goodness she had purchased a dress for the Ball, just in case she was actually asked.

The next started with a flurry of activity as her dormmates started beautifying themselves early. Angelina started getting ready around five, slipping into her pale yellow robes. She did her hair up in a neat twist, and hesitantly started the walk towards the common room.

Her heart sped a little, she was quite excited for the Ball. She just hoped that she was going with Him.

"Hi Johnson," he greeted her easily, as she entered the Common Room. Her heart sank. "You're looking good tonight."

She ignored the compliment and the tears stinging in her eyes.

"You're Fred, aren't you?" she asked, upset.

Fred kept the cocky grin on his face, despite her obvious insult.

"Ahh, you mixed us up, didn't you?" He asked, surprisingly understanding. "I just needed a pretty date."

She should have felt insulted, but she didn't at all. She actually was really relieved. She took his arm happily.

"You're the next best thing, I suppose," she admitted shyly.

"You can call me Gred, if it makes you feel better," he said with a smirk.

She laughed, but punched him on the shoulder.

"Prat."


	7. Of Death and Victory

Gone.

Gone.

Gone.

The word seemed to echo around in Harry's head. So many people gone. His parents. Remus. Sirius. Tonks. Mad-eye. Fred. Colin. God, even Hedwig.

His head whirled with thoughts and possibilities and oh God, he didn't even know. He gagged and leaned his head against the cool stone of Hogwarts. His eyes burned, and he swallowed convulsively. Wondering why he wasn't throwing up.

Belatedly, he realized it was because he hadn't eaten anything in two days. For fuck's sake he hadn't eaten a hot meal since they left Bill and Fleur's. And even then, cooking was nothing to brag about.

And he had done it. How the bloody hell had he done it? Dying and ultimatums and red eyes sprang up behind his closed lids.

He opened his eyes. Where was he? Who was he? Oh my god, who was he? Without Voldemort, without…this time he did throw up. What it was, he couldn't begin to imagine. Blood, maybe. He just wanted to sleep. To sleep and to never dream. God only knows what would be in his nightmares now. His knees began to shake.

He sank slowly down to the floor, the coolness of the wall behind him slightly calming him. But not enough.

So many people dead. So many sacrifices. Remus' son, orphaned. But not family-less, Harry would make sure of that. Through his half-closed lids, he could make out two familiar heads now. He knew they wouldn't sit up in Dumbledore's office forever, but he really wished they would leave him alone.

His head spun, and his breath came out in shallow pants. He thought he heard his name being called frantically, but darkness was swallowing his vision. Before he fell, a streak of red flashed in front of his eyes.

His head was suddenly clear and he could hear the conversation now.

"I've got him, you two," she whispered.

The red and brown shifted and hesitated.

"Seriously, go," she said, more firm this time. Harry felt something change, something lock into place. But, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that it was only her now.

She crouched down and stroked his face, his hair.

"Oh Harry," she gasped. He couldn't remember if he had ever seen her cry, maybe once. But that was many years ago.

Harry's eyes slowly opened once more, and all he could see was red. She was crying, her face in his shirt. He slowly rubbed her back, finding the motion calming.

"I love you," he told her. She paused, even her sobs ceased.

"You don't know how long, I have been waiting to hear that," she said quietly. "I love you too, Harry. More than anything."

Harry slowly came back down, the blackness in his vision receded, his breathing evened out, and his heartbeat was in time with the motion of his hand on her back. He could do it, with her help. He could find himself, through her.

Ginny.


End file.
